The best books to manage and overcome anxiety disorders

Why am I passionate about this?

A self-confessed anxiety disorder nerd, I have a deeper level of understanding beyond the textbooks and training. I grew up in Manchester, UK, and was once diagnosed with crippling anxiety; suffering from panic attacks, agoraphobia, health anxiety, and generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), as well as intrusive thoughts, obsessive-compulsive behaviours, and all the other fun stuff that comes with a nasty anxiety condition. I’m now a qualified psychotherapist and it is my mission to help as many people as I can recover from anxiety disorder and live happy, healthy lives.


I wrote...

Book cover of Untangle Your Anxiety: A Guide To Overcoming An Anxiety Disorder By Two People Who Have Been Through It

What is my book about?

Do you struggle to understand your anxiety? Are your days often consumed by worries that have no clear answers? Perhaps you don't feel like your usual self? Untangle Your Anxiety was written by psychotherapist and best-selling author, Joshua Fletcher (@anxietyjosh), and the owner of Instagram's largest anxiety community, Dean Stott (@DLCanxiety), to help you overcome excessive anxiety. Having both been diagnosed in the past with anxiety disorders, then successfully overcoming them, Josh and Dean have written this honest and powerful self-help book as a reassuring aid in your recovery.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Anxiety Disorders: Key Concepts, Insights, and Interventions

Joshua Fletcher Why did I love this book?

What is so great about this book is you certainly do not need to be a therapist to read it and gain an incredible amount of understanding about what it means to live with and overcome an anxiety disorder. It is precisely because it was written for therapists in mind that I would encourage anyone suffering from anxiety disorders to read it. Why? Because it approaches it from the perspective of someone who is there to offer guidance and support rather than the one living with anxiety themselves. Sometimes, it’s this third part perspective that can really help distance ourselves from the disorder in order to help ourselves overcome it. It’s a must-read.

By Sally M. Winston, Martin N. Seif,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Anxiety Disorders as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Anxiety Disorders is an integrated and practical approach to treating anxiety disorders for general psychotherapists. What is new and exciting is its focus on changing a patient's relationship to anxiety in order to enable enduring recovery rather than merely offering a menu of techniques for controlling symptoms. Neither a CBT manual nor an academic text nor a self-help book, What Every Therapist Needs to Know About Anxiety Disorders offers page after page of key insights into ways to help patients suffering from phobias, panic attacks, unwanted intrusive thoughts, compulsions and worries. The authors…


Book cover of The Anxious Truth: A Step-By-Step Guide To Understanding and Overcoming Panic, Anxiety, and Agoraphobia

Joshua Fletcher Why did I love this book?

Without a doubt, this book has to be one of the best anxiety recovery books that I could recommend. Drew writes with compassion, humility, outstanding knowledge, and his own personal experience clearly shows that he really does understand anxiety disorder beyond just textbook knowledge. Relatable and informative, this book offers a level of comfort alongside some great actionable tips to help you on your anxiety recovery journey.

By Drew Linsalata,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Anxious Truth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Are you being controlled by anxiety and panic attacks? Are you unable to leave your home or travel too far? Have you tried everything and still found that you can't solve this problem?

Change is possible. No matter how long you've suffered with your anxiety issues, you can get better.

Written by a guy that's been through it all and came out the other side, The Anxious Truth will explain in a step-by-step fashion how you got to where you are today, why you are not broken or ill, and what the true nature of your anxiety disorder is. The…


Book cover of The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD: Lean Into Your Fear, Manage Difficult Emotions, and Focus on Recovery

Joshua Fletcher Why did I love this book?

If you’re looking for an insightful step-by-step action plan to help overcome OCD or anxiety disorder and all the unwanted struggles that come with them, this is the book to read. Kimberely is extremely knowledgeable in this space and what this book offers that many don’t, are actionable tools and techniques that you can implement straight away. 

By Kimberley Quinlan,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A compassionate guide to help you manage OCD symptoms, overcome feelings of shame and stigma, and revitalize your life!

If you're one of millions who suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), you're all-too-familiar with feelings of anxiety, panic, shame, and uncertainty. In addition, the stigma associated with OCD can make you feel unworthy of receiving the compassion and kindness you need and deserve. You may even experience unwanted intrusive thoughts that result in harsh self-judgment-which can actually hinder your recovery and lead to additional mental health problems. So, how can you break this destructive cycle and start feeling better?

The Self-Compassion…


Book cover of At Last a Life

Joshua Fletcher Why did I love this book?

An incredible story of one man’s journey through anxiety disorder and out the other side. It’s a simplistically written book that cuts through all of the jargon and fluff that can sometimes make it difficult to understand exactly what we should be doing to help ourselves. Incredibly relatable, it’s another fine example of one previous anxiety sufferer sharing their story to help you on your own recovery journey.

By Paul David,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked At Last a Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

At Last a Life tells the full story of my recovery from anxiety and panic and also how I overcame intrusive thoughts and depersonalisation. It covers every aspect of the anxiety condition, explaining not only why we suffer, but also what keeps us in the loop and easy to follow advice on how to recover. The book has relied solely on word of mouth for its success and is now sold all over the world, recently being published in Japan and recommended by many doctors and therapists. The book talks to you directly and is not filled with any medical…


Book cover of Fear of Flying Workbook: Overcome Your Anticipatory Anxiety and Develop Skills for Flying with Confidence

Joshua Fletcher Why did I love this book?

An extensive and powerful read. Whilst it focuses on the fear of flying (including in-depth worksheets and exercises that you can start using straight away) David breaks down exactly how this fear came to be and what you can do to break the anxious cycle. Even if fear of flying is not something you struggle with, all of the information in this book can be applied to various anxiety disorders. A great source of psychoeducation! 

By David Carbonell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fear of Flying Workbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Leads readers step-by-step with proven techniques that finally make it possible to conquer their fear of flying

You’ve tried to face your fear of flying, but the harder you try to control it, the worse it gets. This book teaches how to work constructively with your brain so you can address your anxiety in different ways that truly help you let go of the fear.

Packed with hands-on exercises, this book helps you better understand both the anticipatory anxiety prior to a flight as well as the fear experienced on board—and provides the tools needed to successfully fill the role…


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Blood of the White Bear

By Marcia Calhoun Forecki, Gerald Schnitzer,

Book cover of Blood of the White Bear

Marcia Calhoun Forecki Author Of Blood of the White Bear

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author History hound Polyglot Bookworm Neatness averse Yoga beginner

Marcia's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Virologist Dr. Rachel Bisette sees visions of a Kachina and remembers the plane crash that killed her parents and the Dine medicine woman who saved her life. Rachel is investigating a new and lethal hantavirus spreading through the Four Corners, and believes the Kachina is calling her to join the work against the spreading pandemic.

She finds Eva Yellow Horn, a medicine woman with the key to fighting the pandemic. When Eva demonstrates ancient healing powers beyond science, Rachel recognizes her as the medicine woman who saved her life years before. Eva reveals that Rachel’s father was investigating the 1979 nuclear disaster in Church Rock, when his plane crashed, killing her parents. Now, Rachel undertakes a new investigation, but she is not alone.

Blood of the White Bear

By Marcia Calhoun Forecki, Gerald Schnitzer,

What is this book about?

“Visions of kachinas guide doctor to spiritual healing in pandemic.”

2014 Finalist in the Willa Literary Award

This is a book that once closed and last line read, my mind wandered to explore certain character motivations and potential follow-up responses. I don’t think an author has to answer every possibility, art comes into play best when the reader’s own imagination can wander within the story.

Dr. Rachel Bisette is drawn to the Four Corners to lead the search for a vaccine against a lethal pandemic. One elusive indigenous woman, Eva Yellow Horn, carries the gift of immunity. In her search…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in anxiety disorder, anxiety, and compassion?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about anxiety disorder, anxiety, and compassion.

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